


Is it Really Over?

by krisrussel



Category: The Pretender
Genre: Angst, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-27
Updated: 2013-02-27
Packaged: 2017-12-03 19:24:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/701781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/krisrussel/pseuds/krisrussel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mister Parker appears out of the blue again after his jump out of the airplane after Carthis. The first thing he does is send Miss Parker on a vacation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Is it Really Over?

**Author's Note:**

> This is actually the very first fanfic I ever wrote, so don’t expect too much ;^)  
> I would like to thank my beta's MP, Tina and Gina. You girls rock!

Two months had passed since Jarod escaped the plane in Morocco. Mr. Parker had returned to the Centre without the scrolls, or so he told everyone, and without a decent explanation of how he had survived the jump and made it back. He also refused to tell anyone what he had read in the scrolls. He was called to the tower for a meeting right away. The meeting lasted three days and all that Miss Parker heard when he got out, was that she had to go on vacation. Although she tried to object, her father wouldn’t hear of it. He had bought her a ticket to Los Angeles and had paid for the hotelroom. All he said was that his Angel had to stay safe. There were going to be some big changes in The Centre and he wanted to keep her out of trouble. When she asked what was going to happen to Sydney and Broots, he said not to worry about them; they  
had been assigned to other teams. She looked at him strangely and asked what would be happening to the hunt for Jarod if Syd and Broots were reassigned and she was on vacation. He just waved her off and said that Jarod didn’t matter anymore and although she tried to object and tried to ask more, two sweepers were standing behind her to make sure she got on the plane to LA.

***

So here she was, her first day in LA. After checking into the hotel, she had stopped by a grocery store for a couple of bottles filled with alcohol. She needed alcohol… especially since her father had ditched her like this.  
She had just stepped out of her car when suddenly she saw a familiar figure moving out of the corner of her eye.  
~Impossible!~ She thought as she quickly hid between two cars and watched the man walk to his car, open the trunk and put the brown paper grocery bag inside. He got into the car and rode out of the parking lot. She quickly got in her car and followed him.  
~Impossible!! The world can’t be this small!~ Was all she was thinking as she followed the car, making sure she didn’t look suspicious.  
About ten minutes later the car stopped. She drove into a driveway close by and looked at him as he got out, grabbed the bag from the trunk and walked into the house in front of which he had parked. It looked like an old cottage that needed a lot of work. When he was inside, she moved her car and got out, walking towards the house. She had to make sure she had seen it right. Walking up the steps leading to the porch, she felt nervous. Why was she feeling nervous? She had no idea… Maybe because The Centre wasn’t pushing her anymore… Maybe because she wasn’t supposed to shove a gun in his face anymore… She had no idea, but her hand trembled when she rang the bell.  
“I’ll get it.” A very familiar voice sounded behind the door.  
The man opened the door and when he saw the woman on the porch, his mouth fell open and his eyes almost popped out.  
“Hello, Jarod,” she said with a victorious smile.  
Jarod looked at her in shock. How did she find him? He hadn’t left any clues since Scotland, since he had decided to disappear. He had planned that this would be the last time that he helped someone, and then he would search for the rest of his family. Start a real life, maybe find a wife and maybe have a kid or two. But his dreams seemed to shatter all around him now that he saw her here. But wait… his eyes darted around… Where were the sweepers? Where were Sydney or Broots? And why wasn’t she aiming a gun at him?  
“Miss Parker,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady. “How did you find me?”  
“Pure luck,” she growled as she pushed him aside and walked inside the house. “What the hell are you doing here anyway?” She asked, looking around at the half-painted walls and half-finished carpeting. “You working on your house with the white-picket fence?” She scoffed.  
“It’s for a friend,” he sighed. “Parker, what are you doing here and how did you find me? I’m not coming back with you. I want to finish this… I…”  
“Don’t worry labrat; apparently you’re not The Centre’s first priority anymore.”  
He looked at her in pure shock and a sound that barely resembled the ‘what?’ he wanted to ask escaped his mouth.  
“Yo, Jarod, who was that at the door?” A male voice from one of the other rooms sounded.  
“Jarod…” Miss Parker asked with a playful flicker in her eyes. “You didn’t turn gay on me, did you?”  
Jarod just stared at her, still in shock. “I… no… I… help friend.”  
“Jarod? Where are you? Hey who are you?” Miss Parker turned around and looked at the man who had appeared in the doorway, he wasn’t really a man… he looked barely 18. He had a light brown skin, very dark eyes and short black hair. He was wearing an overall that was covered in paint.   
She chuckled as she asked: “And who the hell might you be?”  
“Hey, I asked first,” he said a bit irritated. “And what’s wrong with the J-man?” He asked as he looked at Jarod who was still looking at Parker in pure shock.  
“J-man?” Parker asked and started laughing.  
“What the hell are you doing here and what the hell did you do to Jarod? You better answer. This is still my house and I’ll call the cops on you.”  
“Take it easy, kid… We’re old friends and I gave him news from his old home that apparently gave him quite of a shock.”  
“Let’s take him to the couch.”  
“Good idea,” she said as they both took an arm and gently guided Jarod into the living room and onto the couch.  
She sat next to him a bit worried. “Jarod, are you ok?”  
He stared blankly in front of him, blinked his eyes a couple of times and slowly turned to her, his mouth still open.  
“Wha… Wha… What happened?” He asked barely audible.  
“You kinda blanked out on me,” she said with a soft smile and gently brushed a lock of hair out of his face. The touch of her fingers on his face made his heart jump and his breathing stalked for a split-second. He blinked a couple of times more as he stared at her.  
“Yeah, I…,” he started with a hoarse voice. “I… What happened?”  
She softly smiled again. “This really shook you up, didn’t it?”  
He slowly nodded, his shock was a combination of factors, the fact that she was here, the fact that The Centre had apparently stopped chasing him and the effect her touch had on his body.  
“Hey, J-man, you waking up?”  
Jarod slowly turned to the young man. “Yeah, Mike, can you get me some water please?”  
Mike grinned and doubled back to the kitchen.  
“Jarod, are you ok?” Parker asked again.  
“Yeah, I’m getting better,” he said with a weak smile. “What happened at The Centre?”  
“I have no idea,” she sighed. “Daddy appeared out of the blue again, he spent three days in a meeting in the tower and after that he told me that I had to go on vacation and that you weren’t a priority anymore. Sydney and Broots got transferred to other projects and I have to spend at least a month in LA.”  
“Here’s the water, Jarod,” Mike said and handed him the glass.  
“Thanks, Mike,” he gave the man a weak smile.  
“I figure you guys have a lot to talk about, so I’ll go finish the painting in the bathroom.”  
Jarod nodded and Parker gave him a little smile.  
“Parker,” he turned back to her and sipped from his drink. “You have no idea what happened in the meeting?”  
She shook her head. “Not a clue. I tried to find Angelo to see if he knew anything, but daddy had two sweepers tailing me to make sure I got on the plane to LA, so I couldn’t contact him.”  
“Maybe I can,” Jarod whispered and got up. He fell back in the couch when his vision turned black.  
“Jarod?” Parker asked worried, gently taking his hand in hers.  
He sighed and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I’m fine. I just got up a bit too fast.”  
She nodded and helped him up. He walked to his laptop, quickly tapped on some keys and pushed the ‘send’ button.  
“What did you do?” She asked curiously.  
“I contacted Angelo,” he stated simply as he walked towards the kitchen. “I’m going to make dinner, you want to help?”  
“Uh, yeah sure,” she said a bit surprised. “What are we making?”  
“Vegetable-stew with leftovers from yesterday.”  
“You’re kidding me, right?” She chuckled.  
“No.”  
“Okay.”  
“Yo, Mike, we’re starting with dinner!” Jarod yelled towards the hallway.“Aight, be right there.”  
“He’s helping too?” Parker asked.  
“Yeah, I’m teaching him how to cook good and healthy meals and not to throw away any food that you still can eat the next day.”  
“Healthy meals? Are you really sure you’re ok?” She asked with a sarcastic tone.  
He just gave her a mocking grin. “Just set the table. Plates are there, glasses are over there and forks and knives are over here.”  
“Just three people, right?”  
“Yes, Parker.”  
About an hour later they were seated at the table.  
“Jarod, this is great. I didn’t know leftovers could be so tasty.” Parker said after a couple of bites.  
“It was Mike’s idea to make this. He’s learning really fast.”  
“Thanks J, but you’re a good teacher.”  
Jarod just smiled, he never really got used to positive comments.  
“So Jarod, why are you helping Mike?” Parker asked.  
“I’m trying to get his family back to him.”  
“What do you mean?” She asked, getting curious.  
“J-man, let me tell it. It’s about me anyway.”  
Jarod nodded and Mike started talking.  
“I knocked up my girlfriend. She’s almost 17, white and from a good family. Her parents always disliked me and when they found out she got pregnant, they wouldn’t allow me back in their house. They wanted her to give up the baby or get an abortion, but she always refused and that made them even angrier with me. But after a few months, she finally got them to talk to me and we agreed that I was allowed to marry their daughter and become the father of my child when I found a decent home, a steady job and that I could prove I can take care of a baby and my wife. Because I grew up in a backward part of town I never got a good schooling, so I don’t have any decent skills. But I tried to find a job anyway and one of the ways I tried to find a job was handing out pamphlets, asking people to contact me if they had work. Jarod got his hands on a pamphlet  
and he called me. He wanted to know everything, so I told him everything. Jarod’s amazing. He bought me this house and we’re renovating it together. And after this house is finished he’s getting me a job in a renovation company. Besides that he’s teaching me how to cook, how to clean, how to take care of a baby and all the other stuff you need to know to run a household. I really love Cindy and I love that baby she’s carrying. I really hope all of this will convince her parents.”  
“That’s quite a story. So, how far along is she?” Parker asked.  
“She’s almost in her seventh month,” he said, sounding proud. “I really hope I can be with her during the birth.”  
“Don’t worry,” Jarod said full of confidence. “We’ll have her parents convinced by then.”  
“I hope so,” Mike whispered. “So, Parker, how do you know Jarod?” He asked, trying to change the subject.  
Parker smiled and glanced at Jarod. “Well, we sort of grew up together until we were about 15.”  
“Sorta?? How can you sorta grow up together?” Mike asked.  
“That’s a long and complicated story.” Jarod said and glanced at Parker, locking eyes for a split-second. In that split-second his heart skipped a beat again; little did he know that her heart did the same.  
Mike smiled when he saw the spark between them. “So, you guys haven’t seen each other since you were 15?”  
“Just now and then,” Parker said. “But yeah, we’ve barely seen each other since then. Last time was a little over two months ago in Scotland.” Her stomach made a couple of flip-flops as she thought back to that evening when Ocee had interrupted them and she tried to ignore Jarod’s eyes that she felt burning on her face.  
Mike’s smile widened as he quickly emptied his plate. “I’m going to my room and watch some TV. Just leave the dishes. I’ll do them in the morning.”  
Jarod nodded and peeled his eyes off Parker’s face. He wondered why she tried to ignore him. “Alright, Mike, I’ll see you in the morning.”  
Parker smiled at the young man. “Goodnight Mike. It was nice to meet you.”  
“The pleasure was all mine,” he answered with a grin and left the room.  
“He’s a nice kid,” she said as she got up and started to clear the table.  
“Yeah, he is,” Jarod agreed as he got up too and gently took her hand in his. “We need to talk.”  
“About what?” Her voice sounded unsteady and she tried to release his grip.  
“Carthis,” he simply replied.   
She froze for a second and he let go of her hand.  
“There’s nothing to talk about,” she said as she walked away from him.  
“Yes there is,” he answered with a hoarse voice. “I want to finish what we started.”  
“We didn’t start anything,” she whispered as she felt him coming closer. Her heart was racing; she knew this was wrong; she had to get back to The Centre in a few weeks.  
She couldn’t do this, not with him! But her heart was telling her something completely different. He closed the distance between them and gently took her arm in his hand, slowly turning her around until she faced him. Her eyes were fixed on an invisible spot on the floor. He lovingly cupped her chin in his hand and slowly raised her head.  
“I want to know what would have happened if Ocee hadn’t interrupted us,” he whispered, his face only inches away from hers. His warm breath sent goose bumps all over her back.  
“I don’t,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.  
“Yes you do,” he whispered as he closed the distance between them and gently brushed her lips with his. It seemed like time stood still as she responded and deepened the kiss, slowly opening her mouth to give his tongue access. Their hearts were racing as their tongues fought for control over a kiss that seemed to last an eternity.  
He slowly released her as they tried to catch their breaths.  
“Too bad Ocee interrupted us,” he said with a hoarse voice and a huge grin spread over his face.  
“Yeah,” she softly said and gently stroked his cheek with her fingers wondering why she had denied her feelings for so long.  
“Let’s sit,” he guided her to the couch where they sat down. He took her in his arms and her head rested on his chest. She listened to his heartbeat and felt his strong arms around her as he softly kissed her hair.  
“So uh, how long are you staying in LA?” He asked after a while.  
“Four weeks,” she replied and although she couldn’t see his face, she knew there was another huge grin on it.  
Looking at the clock, she let out a sigh. “I should be getting back to the hotel.”  
“Stay,” he whispered, gently brushing a lock of hair out of her face.  
“It’s too fast,” she sighed and sat up, giving him a quick kiss. “I’m sorry.”  
“Don’t be,” he answered, gently cupping her face in his hands. A wicked grin appeared on his face. “We still have four weeks.”  
She smiled and got up from the couch.  
“I’ll let you out,” he took her hand in his and they walked to the front door. When her hand went to the doorknob, he took it in his and turned her towards him.  
“Don’t go,” he pleaded again.  
“Jarod, I don’t have any clothes with me.”  
“I’ll lend you my stuff,” he said with a pleading smile.  
“It’s just going too fast,” she said as she dropped her head and stared at the floor again.  
“I just want to hold you,” he cupped her head in his hands and tilted it so he could see in her eyes. “We’ve lost so much time already. I just want to feel you in my arms.”  
She saw the sincerity and love in his eyes. “Jarod, I don’t have any pyjamas with me.”  
“I’ll lend you a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Please stay and we’ll pick up your stuff tomorrow.”  
“You want me to stay here for the remainder of my stay?” She asked surprised.  
“Yes. I want to spend every possible second with you.”  
“But what about the renovations?”  
“You can help,” he said with a smile.  
She started laughing. “You gotta be kidding me, right… Can you see me fixing up a house?”  
“Could you see yourself kissing me when you arrived at the airport this morning?” He asked and answered his own question as he softly kissed her.  
She gave him a gentle smile. “Good point. But what about Mike?”  
“He won’t mind. Please stay,” he pleaded again. “I don’t want to lose any more time that I could be spending with you.”  
She took a deep breath and lovingly caressed his cheek. “Fine, I’ll stay and we’ll see what happens tomorrow.”  
Another grin appeared on his face as he stole a quick kiss. “Come on, I’ll show you our bedroom.”

***

Jarod slowly opened his eyes, he felt her head resting on his chest and he smiled. Glancing at the clock, he blinked a couple of times before believing what it said. He had slept for more than eight hours and that was the first time he had ever slept that long in one go. Suddenly he realised that he didn’t have any nightmares either. The smile appeared on his face again and he softly kissed her hair.  
“Good morning,” she sighed and burrowed her head deeper in his chest.  
“Good morning,” he whispered, kissed her hair again and wrapped his arms around her. “I’ve never slept this well before.”  
“Me either,” she sighed.  
“We’d better get out of bed though. It’s already past nine.”  
“You’re kidding me,” she said surprised as she raised herself up to look at the clock. “Damn, I slept more than eight hours?”  
“You’re not the only one who’s surprised,” he smiled and cupped her head in his hands, bringing her lips to his and lovingly kissing her.   
“I love you, Parker,” he whispered, pulling her in a hug.  
She let out a deep sigh and let his words sink deep into her soul.   
“I love you too, Jarod,” she whispered, kissing him again.  
After some more cuddles and kisses they finally managed to get out of bed. He was wearing his own black shorts and a black t-shirt. She was wearing his blue shorts and one of his many black t-shirts.  
“My clothes look good on you,” he threw her a playful grin.  
She just stuck her tongue out and walked out of the bedroom. The smell of breakfast instantly hit her.  
“Good morning lovebirds,” Mike greeted them with a huge grin when they entered the kitchen. “Jarod, it’s about time you got out of bed. We still have a lot of work to do.”  
“How did you know?” Jarod asked surprised as they took a seat at the table and saw that it was set for three.  
“Come on, the way you guys were looking at each other last night. I recognize true love when I see it.”  
Jarod and Parker just locked their eyes and drowned each other in love.  
“Pancakes are ready,” Mike proudly announced as he set the plate on the table.  
They started eating in silence until Mike broke it.  
“So eh, what happened in Scotland between you?”  
“Mike!” Jarod said, trying to sound stern. Parker smiled as her thoughts wandered back to Carthis.  
“What? When you guys were talking about it last night, I saw the look you tried to ignore.”  
“Nothing happened,” Jarod honestly answered. “We almost kissed, but we got interrupted.”  
“And you didn’t continue after the interruption?” Mike asked surprised.  
“No. It’s complicated,” Jarod sighed.  
“Love shouldn’t be complicated.”  
“We know,” Parker said. “But our lives are very complicated. You see, we’re supposed to be enemies. Our families are enemies. If they knew we are here… together…,” she sighed knowing her father would probably kill her.  
“Cool, a real Romeo and Juliet story,” Mike smiled, propping another piece of pancake in his mouth.  
“I just hope it has a better ending,” Jarod said with a wry smile.  
“Me too,” Parker sighed as she took his hand in hers and softly squeezed it.  
After breakfast they headed for her hotel. She packed her stuff and didn’t bother to tell the front desk that she was leaving. Her father had paid for a month and she didn’t know if there was anyone in the hotel who would warn him if she left early. She didn’t want to take the chance. She’d come back in about a month to check out. Jarod waited for her in the car, still not believing that she had agreed to stay in the house with him. He let out a relieved sigh when she left the hotel and he quickly got out of the car to help her with her bags.

***

The days passed slowly and Jarod and Parker were truly happy. She helped with the renovations as much as she could and she didn’t expect that it could be this much fun.  
Mike and she became good friends, which surprised Jarod a bit, but he was happy that his best friend and the love of his life got along so well.  
They made love almost every night and whenever they could, they’d exchange a kiss or two. Life was great, but they knew it wouldn’t last.

***

It took them a little over three weeks to finish the house and it looked amazing.  
“I can’t wait to show her parents,” Mike said, as he looked around, still stunned that it was finished so soon.  
“Then invite them,” Jarod said with a grin. “I’m sure they’ll be thrilled.”  
“I hope so,” the young man sighed as he picked up the phone and dialled a familiar number. “Mr. Wayne, this is Mike. I’d love for you to come and check out the house that I picked out… Yes sir, I start with my job tomorrow… In the renovation-sector… Because I’ve been very busy in the house… I got some help from a friend… Yes sir… Yes sir… Bodry Lane 657… Yes sir.”   
Mike put down the phone and let out the breath he was holding. “They’re coming in about an hour,” he sighed and looked at Jarod and Parker. “I’m gonna take a shower and change.”  
“Good idea,” Jarod said and he and Parker disappeared into their bedroom to get into some decent clothes.  
Exactly 60 minutes later the bell rang. Mike almost fell off the couch and let out a deep sigh.  
“Showtime.” He breathed and walked towards the hallway. Jarod and Parker stayed on the couch, curiously looking at the doorway, wondering what to expect.  
A few seconds later, Mike appeared again, lovingly holding Cindy’s hand. “Guys, this is Cindy. Cindy, this is Jarod and Parker, they helped me with this place and Jarod helped me get my job.”  
Cindy gave them a very thankful smile and politely shook their hands. “Nice to meet you and thank you for everything.”  
Two other people walked into the room. Mike introduced Jarod and Parker to them and now they realised why Mike was so nervous about his, hopefully, soon to be parents-in-law.  
They were glaring around to find something they could bitch about; they were dressed in designer clothes and looked like they each just ate a whole lemon. Cindy was complete the opposite and they realised why Mike liked her so much. She actually reminded Jarod of Parker when she was around that age. She looked happy and filled with joy and asked questions about everything she saw. Mike was more than happy to answer them. After a decent tour around the house, the small group arrived back in the living room where Jarod and Parker were patiently waiting.  
“So, Michael. Who paid for this?” Mister Wayne asked.  
“I did,” Jarod said.  
“And why would you do that?”  
“Because a child has the right to have a good family. I was raised without my parents and I wish I could spare every child that got born on this world the same faith, but I can’t, so I try to help wherever I can. When I talked to Michael, I realized he cares a lot for your daughter and the baby. I knew he would make an excellent father; he just didn’t have the right education and the right background to make that family happen. So I decided to help him. I got him this house, we renovated it together and I got him the job. I also taught him how to cook, lead a household and take care of a baby. He’s ready to be a parent and I’m very sure that baby will have the best dad in LA.”  
The room stayed quiet for a while. Parker felt very proud of Jarod and she wanted to kiss him passionately, but she knew the Waynes wouldn’t approve, so she just took his hand in hers and threw him a loving smile. Mike didn’t know what to say after Jarod’s speech, so he just threw his friend a very thankful smile, as did Cindy.  
Mister Wayne looked at his wife, back at Jarod and at Mike and his daughter. He let out a soft sigh. “Mike, you have my permission to live here with my daughter for half a year. If you still want to take care of her and the baby after that, you have my blessing to get married.” With that he and his wife stood up and left the house, leaving its four inhabitants sitting stunned in the couches. A few seconds later cheers and congratulations broke out.

“I guess we’d better pack and let these two love birds enjoy their new home,” Jarod said after a while.  
“Good idea,” Parker smiled.  
They left the house about an hour later. Jarod left his car for Mike and gave the young man an envelope before he opened the door of Parker’s rental. Mike opened it and his eyes widened.  
“J-Man, I can’t take this.”  
“Yes, you can. You’re starting a new family Mike, you need every cent.”  
“But you’ve done so much already.”  
“And if you need me, I’ll still be there to help you.”  
Mike threw his arms around Jarod’s waist and hugged him tight. “Thank you so much. I owe you big time.”  
“Just take care of your family and send me some pictures of the baby. We’ll try to come over for the wedding.”  
Mike nodded and said his grateful goodbyes to Parker. Cindy came wobbling out of the house when they got into the car.  
“Sorry, but with a baby inside of you, you really have no control over your bladder.”  
She said her goodbyes too, thanking them both and wishing they would come by in the near future for a couple of days so that she could get to know them better. Jarod and Parker agreed and they drove out of the driveway, returning the waves of the happy couple in front of the beautiful cottage-style house.“Jarod, where are we going? This isn’t the way to the hotel,” Parker asked after a while.  
“I just want to show you something,” Jarod smiled as he took her hand and gently squeezed it.  
She glanced at him, knowing that a discussion with him would be hopeless, but she would still give it a try.  
“Jarod, I want to know where we’re going.”  
“Honey, take it easy. It’s a surprise. I don’t want to spoil anything.”  
“I hate surprises,” she grumbled.  
“No, you actually don’t,” he chuckled.  
“Fine, I don’t. But I still want to know where we’re going.”  
“No, that would spoil the fun and we’re almost there, just be patient.”  
She let out a frustrated growl and stared outside. She noticed that they were driving through a very peaceful looking neighbourhood. There were lots of green spots and not a lot of cars, people looked friendly and said hello as they passed. This reminded her of the neighbourhood of her dreams that she told Jarod about when they were kids and were talking about their future together when he was still in The Centre. To her surprise he drove on a driveway in that lovely street.  
“What do you think?” He asked and got out of the car.  
She got out too and looked in amazement at the big white house with the giant yard. “Jarod, this looks just like the house I told you about when we were kids.”  
“I know,” he softly said, took her hand and guided her towards the door. “I hope you like the inside too.”  
“Jarod…,” she sighed as they walked inside. “This looks just like my dream house.”  
“Our dream house,” he smiled as he took her hands in his and softly kissed her. “This is the house we built together in our dreams.”  
“It is,” she said with tears in her eyes.  
Jarod took a deep breath and kneeled down, holding her hands in his. “Monica Parker. I’ve dreamed about this since the moment I met you. I’ve loved you since the moment I met you and I’ll always love you. I can’t imagine spending another moment without you and I want to start a family with you in this house, our dream house. I want you to be the mother of my children and I want you to be my wife, so would you please do me the honour of marrying me?” He took out a small box out of his pocket and carefully opened it, revealing a beautiful golden ring set with diamonds.  
“Jarod…,” she gasped, tears running down her face. “I… I…” She felt her knees giving up on her and she sank to the floor, staring in his deep brown eyes that were filled with love and anticipation.   
“Yes,” she whispered and flung her arms around his neck, burying her tear-filled face in his neck. He let out the breath that he didn’t even realise he was holding and wrapped his arms around her. She was still crying as he carefully put the ring on her finger, whispering how much he loved her. She flung her arms around his neck again and passionately kissed him, trying desperately to hold on to this perfect moment.

***

They spend the next five days in their new home, loving every moment of it. But then the day came they both dreaded the most, she had to return to Blue Cove.  
“I don’t want to go,” she cried, holding him tight as they were standing in the departure area of the airport.  
“I know honey, I know. But you have to,” his eyes were filled with tears as he softly kissed her. “Angelo doesn’t have a clue yet what was said during that meeting. We have to find out what they are planning.”  
“I know,” she whispered, holding him even closer to her as if she were trying to pull him inside of her.  
“I love you and I’ll be here for you. If you need me to come to you, just call and I’ll be there.”  
“I know sweetie, I know. I love you too,” she whispered.  
“Call me when you get there.”  
“I will,” she gave him one last kiss and slowly walked away from him.

***

“Hello?”  
*Hey, sweetie.*  
“Honey, it’s so good to hear your voice again.”  
*I miss you so much already,* she whispered, trying to hold back her tears.  
“I miss you too. I never realised I could ever miss anyone this much.”  
*I know. I love you, Jarod. I have to go and get ready for work.*  
“I love you too, honey. And be careful,” he closed the phone and sighed. He really couldn’t wait to hold her in his arms again.

***

“Sydney,” she smiled as she saw her old friend. “It’s so good to see you again. I actually missed you.”  
“Miss Parker. It is great to see you again too,” he said, surprised by her happiness.  
“So, what’s been going on around here?” She asked as she took a seat on the other side of his desk.  
“Not much actually. For some reason the hunt for Jarod has been stopped, Lyle and Raines are barely around anymore and if they are, they look as if they are plotting the conspiracy of the century. Your father always stays either in his office or he is in a meeting in the tower. But is there anything you would like to tell me?” He asked as he glanced at her shining ring.  
“Damn, I forgot about this,” she cursed as she took off her ring and hung it on a golden chain around her neck, which she tucked in her blouse. “You didn’t see that.”  
“See what?” He asked, knowing that she would tell him more if she was ready for it. He just hoped that whoever the man was that gave her that ring knew what he was getting himself into.  
“Where’s Broots?” She asked, suddenly missing the friendly geek.  
“He left The Centre,” Sydney said with a smile. “He got a job offer from Microsoft and because he is just a smallfry, no one minded that he left.”  
“Amazing,” Parker sighed, missing him even more now. “Do you know how I can contact him?”  
“Of course,” Sydney replied and wrote something down on a piece of paper. “This is his cell phone number. I’m sure Debbie and he would love to hear from you.”  
“Yeah,” she sighed and tucked away the paper. “Thanks Syd. I’m going to talk to my father about what’s going on around here.”

“Angel?!” Mister Parker said surprised as his daughter entered his office. “You really should learn to knock.”  
“It’s nice to see you too, Daddy,” she said, her voice filled with sarcasm.  
“How was your vacation?”  
“Best ever,” she simply replied, trying to hide her smile.  
“Hotel was good?”  
“Excellent.”  
“How would you know?” He asked, his eyes cold as he looked at her.  
“Daddy, what are you talking about?” She tried to sound surprised.  
“The only thing you did in that hotel was check in and check out. Where the hell were you the rest of the month?” His eyes and voice were filled with anger.  
“I met an old friend and I stayed at his place.”  
“And I should believe that?”  
“It’s the truth daddy,” she said, starting to lose her patience.  
“I hope so, for your sake,” he growled.  
“Daddy, Sydney told me the search for Jarod is completely over. Is that true?”  
“Yes.”  
“Why? What happened?” She asked stunned.  
“None of your business.”  
“But daddy…”  
“No Angel, I talked to the triumvirate. They agreed to let you go now that the search for Jarod is over.”  
Her mouth fell open. “What?”  
“You can leave The Centre. Isn’t that what you always wanted?”  
“Yes, but…”  
“Angel, just leave,” he said as he guided her towards the door and pushed her outside. “The paperwork is on your desk.”

“Miss Parker, is everything okay?” Sydney asked again after waiting a few seconds for her to reply. She just sat at her desk, staring at some papers.  
“I can leave,” she whispered, barely audible.  
“What?” Sydney asked surprised.  
“Daddy… said I… could… just leave,” she looked up, staring at Sydney.  
“Why?”  
“I don’t know. All I have to do is sign these papers and I’m free.”  
“Do you have doubts?” He asked surprised.  
“No, I want to get away from this place, but… there’s something going on and I want to know what it is,” she sighed.  
“Parker, do not doubt this. There is always something going on here. But these papers give you your freedom back. You can be happy, you can start a family. You can get away from here and start your own life.”  
Absently she was playing with the ring on the chain. “I know.”  
Sydney stepped over to her and took the ring between his fingers. “You can be happy with him and not be worried that The Centre will be breathing down your neck.” He leaned in closer and whispered in her ear. “He just called me, congratulations. Now sign the papers and go back to him. Make each other happy.”  
Looking up at him, she smiled and nodded. “Alright.”

***

Two days later she was home again, in Jarod’s arms, feeling truly happy, but a nagging feeling kept bugging her. The voices in her head and one voice in particular kept telling her that it wasn’t over yet. It worried her and made her nervous.   
Jarod noticed it. “Honey, are you ok?” He asked worried. “You look a bit tense.”  
“I’m fine sweetie. I just didn’t have a lot of sleep in the last couple of days.”  
“Honey, don’t lie to me, please.”  
She let out a sigh. “I don’t want to worry you.”  
“Hey,” he gave her a gentle kiss. “We’ve been through the same shit together. If there’s something going on, I want to know about it. No matter what.”  
She nodded and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m sorry; I just wanted ‘us’ to work without anything happening.”  
“Parker, what is it? Now you’re really starting to worry me.”  
“I’m sorry sweetie. It’s just that I have this irritating gut-feeling that keeps bugging me and then there’s my mother’s voice constantly warning me that it isn’t over yet. Something is going on at The Centre and we have to know what it is.”  
“I thought it was something like that,” he sighed, kissing her hair. “I’ve already contacted Angelo again to keep his eyes and ears open. Right now he’s looking for some missing DSA’s containing some conversations and Triumvirate meetings.”  
“I love you,” she whispered and buried her head in his chest.

***

“Angelo sent me something!” He yelled through the house. Parker peeked through the doors leading to the kitchen.  
“I’ll be right there.” She said, drying her hands and throwing the towel over her shoulder. “Angelo works fast. Only three days have passed.”  
Jarod smiled and opened the file. “I don’t know what’s in it, so I’ll be just as surprised as you. But apparently it’s part of a Tower meeting.”  
A DSA movie opened and the scene played before them.  
*****  
“Mister Parker, are you sure these are the scrolls that your daughter and Jarod found on the isle of Carthis.”  
The older man nodded. “They all lead to one thing, madam; the destruction of The Centre will be made possible by the child of The Chosen and The Legacy.”  
“Is there any way we can stop this?” Another voice sounded from the shadows.  
“I’m not sure, sir. I think that the only option we have is to get them both away from The Centre. That way they’ll lose their ties to us and they won’t seek revenge or something foolish like that.”  
“So we stop the search for Jarod and let your daughter resign?”  
“Yes, madam.”  
*****  
Parker and Jarod looked at the screen for a while.  
“Our child will destroy The Centre?” Jarod asked surprised, trying to squeeze the words out of his lump-filled throat.  
“Apparently,” she whispered sounding just as shocked. Her legs were giving up on her and she sat next to Jarod, squeezing his hand. “Now what?”  
“I have no idea,” he whispered and turned from the blank screen to her. “Do you think you’re pregnant?”  
“Well, we never used any protection,” she sighed. “I’m going to get a pregnancy test,” she stated simply, stood up and walked out of the house.

***

“Mike, I’m going to be a dad too.” Jarod said overexcited on the phone. “Thanks… Yeah, it feels great… Listen, we wanted to invite you guys for dinner tonight to celebrate… Yeah, I know Cindy is about to pop… It’s only a 10 minute drive and here it’s five minutes closer to the hospital than from where you live… Great… Around seven… Ok… We’ll see you tonight.”  
Parker looked at her enthusiastic fiancé and softly smiled. Ever since she did the test, he was overjoyed and although she felt happy too, the voices still kept bugging her. She tried to talk about it to him, but he was so overjoyed that she didn’t really want to spoil his happiness.  
He looked at her and threw her a huge smile. “Mike and Cindy are coming over tonight. Now, you just take it easy, I’ll do everything.”  
“Jarod, are you insane? I’m probably barely a month along. I can handle kitchen duty.”  
He threw her his famous ‘gotcha’ grin and instantly got an ice-cold glare from her.  
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself,” he chuckled.  
“Whatever labrat, just go to the store and get the food, I’ll start getting the kitchen ready and setting the table.”  
“Yes, ma’am,” he gave her a fake salute and a quick kiss and walked outside.

“Guys, this was great again. Just as always,” Mike commented after finishing the main course.  
“Thanks,” Jarod smiled.  
Cindy smiled and pushed herself up. “Parker, in about seven months you’ll start cursing your bladder like never before.” And she made her way, for the twentieth time, to the toilet.  
“I’m really not looking forward to that,” Parker sighed.  
“Mike!” The scream sounded from the hallway.  
“Baby, you ok?” The young man jumped up and ran towards the sound. Jarod and Parker quickly followed.  
As they got in the hallway, Cindy stood there; looking at them, her eyes wide with shock, a puddle of a watery substance was under her legs.  
“Baby, what happened?” Mike asked shocked, standing by her side in seconds.  
“Her water broke,” Jarod said, turning into doctor-mode. “We have to get her to the hospital.”  
Somehow everyone knew what to do. Mike went to get their car, Jarod stayed by Cindy’s side, checking her pulse and carefully feeling how the baby was positioned.  
Parker called the hospital to let them know they were on their way and she called Cindy’s parents to let them know they were about to become grandparents.  
“It’s too early.” Cindy cried. “It’s still two weeks too early.”  
“Don’t worry.” Jarod said. “Two weeks is nothing, the baby will be fine.”  
“I didn’t know you were a doctor too,” Cindy wondered out loud as he checked her pulse again.  
“I can be a lot of things,” Jarod smiled, just as Mike plunged into the living room where his girl was laying on the couch.  
“Car’s ready,” He breathed and helped her up.  
“Honey, we’re leaving,” Jarod shouted towards the kitchen where Parker was making the calls.  
She quickly came running out and all four of them got into the car. Jarod was driving and in the ten minutes towards the hospital, he probably broke more than twenty traffic regulations.

***

“She’s beautiful,” Jarod said as he looked at the infant in the incubator.  
“Yeah, she is,” Mike sighed. “She has to stay in there for a couple of days until she gains enough strength. After that, we can take her home.”  
“That’s great,” Jarod smiled and patted his friend on the shoulder. “How’s Cindy holding up?”  
“A bit weak, but she’s fine,” his voice sounded proud.  
“So, you guys chose a name already?”  
“Rose,” Mike answered with a dreamy smile.  
“That’s a beautiful name.”  
“Jarod, Cindy and I talked about it and we would be honoured if you would be her godfather.”  
“Me?” Jarod asked shocked. Parker, who was looking at the baby in the incubator, looked up surprised.  
“Yeah man, you did so much for us. If it weren’t for you, I probably wouldn’t be here today, standing besides my child.”  
“I’d be honoured,” Jarod grinned and gave his friend a hug. Parker smiled and looked at the baby again. She really was a beautiful child.

***

“Parker, sweetie, Angelo sent us another file,” Jarod said to his fiancée.  
“Again? It’s barely been two weeks,” Parker said surprised.  
Jarod nodded. “This is apparently a conversation between your father, Lyle and Raines,” he opened the file.  
*****  
“You can’t be serious?” A frustrated Lyle screamed at his father.  
“The triumvirate will hear about this,” Raines wheezed.  
“The triumvirate gave its blessing,” Mr. Parker said, losing his patience.  
“That’s impossible!” Lyle yelled. “They know how important Jarod is. They know how important the connection between Jarod and my sister is.”  
“It’s that connection that will mean the end of The Centre. It’s because of that link that they decided to let them both go,” Mr. Parker tried to reason with them. “The Pretender project is over.”  
“It will never be over,” Raines wheezed and walked out of the office. Lyle followed closely behind him.  
The screen switched from Mr. Parker’s office to one of the hallways.  
“We have to get them both back,” Raines wheezed.  
“I know,” Lyle agreed. “But what if the triumvirate finds out?”  
“Don’t worry about them. Once we have them back, we can start the breeding-program. That child will change the future of The Centre and put us in charge.”  
An evil grin spread over Lyle’s face. “I like that idea. But how do we find them?”  
“Sydney still works here. They both care about him. If we put him in danger, they’ll come to his rescue.”  
*****  
The recording ended and they both kept staring at the screen.  
“My god, Syd,” Parker breathed, tears welling up in her eyes. “What will they do to him?”  
“Honey, take it easy. They won’t hurt him as long as they don’t have a way to contact us to tell us he’s in any kind of danger.”  
She took a deep breath and let out a sigh. “You’re right. But we should warn him.”  
“Angelo probably already did that, but I’ll send him a message anyway, asking him to warn Syd. Right now it’s not safe for him to be contacted by us. No matter how much I want to tell him you’re pregnant. If Lyle and Raines find out you’re pregnant with my child, they’ll do anything in their power to find us and drag us back to that hellhole.”  
Parker nodded and lovingly hugged him.

***

Sydney looked at the screen and had trouble breathing. A few minutes ago, Angelo had been waiting in his office; he’d given him a DSA and whispered ‘danger’ before disappearing into the air ducts again.  
They would use him to get Jarod and Miss Parker back… Sydney held on to his desk trying not to fall from his chair, as he tried to get over the hyperventilation attack. He had thought, hoped, that the two people he loved as if they were his own children would finally be free and could become happy together. He had been so happy when Jarod told him about their engagement a couple of weeks ago. He had to stop this, but he didn’t know how. There was one thing he was certain off; Lyle and Raines would never be able to use him to get them back, never.

***

The days and weeks slowly passed and Jarod and Parker tried to enjoy every moment they had together to the fullest. They knew they were safe from The Centre right now, but they were worried about Sydney.  
Jarod took his role as godfather very seriously and he visited his goddaughter at least once a week. The baby was growing fast and so was Parker’s belly. She started to show more and more. Jarod fondly thought back to the first time they went to the gynaecologist. Neither of them could stop crying with happiness when they saw the picture of their tiny baby. The doctor had looked at them fondly and told them she thought they would make excellent parents, seeing how much they cared about the baby already.  
Jarod looked absently up from the book he was reading as he heard the *incoming mail* bleep, Parker was lying with her head on his lap, dozing off. She pushed herself aside with a yawn and he moved to the computer, clicking away the screensaver.  
“It’s an email from Sydney, sent through from Angelo,” he said. Parker sat up and moved to his side.  
Jarod opened the file and a video recording of Sydney opened.  
*****  
The older man was sitting on his desk at home, looking straight into the webcam.  
“Hello Jarod and Parker, the moment I heard of your engagement I was thrilled, happy beyond words, hoping the two of you would finally find the happiness you’ve been searching for your entire lives. But a few weeks later I heard that Lyle and Raines would try everything to get the both of you back to The Centre. They are planning to use me to get you guys back. I refuse to let that happen. That is why I am going to stage my own death with help from Angelo. After that I will disappear. Don’t worry about me and live your lives to the fullest. Goodbye my children. I love you both.”  
His arm stretched for the webcam and the picture turned black.  
*****  
“No…,” Parker whispered, tears in her eyes.  
Jarod held her tight but couldn’t find the words to comfort her. The fact that he would never see Sydney again hurt him deeper than he could ever have imagined. Parker softly cried in his arms, deep down she had hoped Sydney would lead her down the aisle. Now that hope was rapidly crumbling.  
“He’ll be alright,” Jarod whispered with a trembling voice.  
“I hope so,” she sighed.

***

“Where’s my beautiful Rose?” Jarod asked as he popped his head above the crib. The little baby happily laughed and stretched her arms automatically. He picked her up and flew her around the room. “Rose is flying!” He enthusiastically exclaimed.  
“Parker, I know this is kind of last minute, but we were wondering if you two could take care of Rose this weekend?” Mike asked as Jarod was still flying Rose around the room.  
“I don’t think that’s going to be a problem,” Parker smiled and looked from Jarod to their friends. “Oh, we just came back from the doctor and we got the news that we’re having a boy.”  
“That’s great,” Mike said and hugged her. “Congratulations.”  
Cindy hugged her too and said her congratulations.“So, what are you guys planning this weekend?” Jarod asked after laying Rose in his arms and sitting on the couch.  
“My parents are treating us for a weekend out,” Cindy answered.  
“Your parents?” Parker asked surprised.  
“Yes, after spending some time with Rose and seeing how much Mike cares for her, they had a 180° attitude change. They’ll even pay for the full wedding.”  
“That’s great,” Parker smiled. “It’s great to know your family is behind you in the choices you make in life.”  
Jarod gently took her hand, knowing her family would never agree with the choices she had made in the last months. Parker threw him a thankful smile.  
Mike and Cindy saw the exchange of glances but they had learned not to question them about it. They knew both of them had a terrible past and that they tried everything to get over that past. Jarod and Parker were their best friends and they respected their wishes not to talk about their pasts.  
Rose started to fuss in Jarod’s arm. “I think she’s getting hungry,” he smiled and handed her to her mother.  
“Hey sweetie.” Cindy said as she took her child from Jarod. “Let’s get you your bottle.”  
“We have to get going anyway.” Parker said and got up from the couch. “We still have to go to the grocery store.”  
“Ok, we’ll bring Rose on Friday night,” Mike said and hugged his friends goodbye.  
“We’ll be expecting you,” Jarod grinned and kissed his god-daughter on her forehead. “See you on Friday, Rose.”

***

“Mr. Raines.”  
“What is it Willy?”  
“One of the techs thinks he has a lead on Jarod.”  
“Finally. Where is he?”  
“They think he’s in one of the districts in LA. There’s a Jarod Cole appointed as godfather to a Rose Jackson. He also found Jarod Cole and a Monica Cole registered by the local gynaecologist.”  
“If that’s Parker, then that means she’s pregnant,” Raines wheezed, triumph shining in his eyes. “Take a team with you and see if the leads check out.”  
“Yes sir.”  
“Danger…,” Angelo whispered from his hideout and hurried to his lair. He had to warn his friends.

***

*You have a new e-mail*  
Jarod walked from the kitchen, holding Rose in one arm. He punched in some keys and his eyes widened as he read the message. He quickly put Rose in her crib and ran upstairs, taking two steps or more at a time. “PARKER! HONEY!”  
Parker opened her eyes. She grumbled a bit. Because of the baby’s constant kicking she didn’t get a lot of sleep and now that she finally managed to fall asleep, he started shouting.  
“What is it?” She asked annoyed as he burst into the room. But when she noticed the panic that was written all over his face her annoyance quickly turned into worry.  
“Sweetie, what’s wrong?”  
“They found us,” he growled between breaths.  
“Oh no,” she whispered, panic gripping her too. “What do we do? What do we do with Rose?”  
“We take her with us,” he stated as he started to pack their bags.  
“Sweetie, we’ll be sued for the kidnapping.”  
“No, Mike and Cindy are our friends. They’ll understand.”  
“I really hope so,” she whispered and got up from the bed to help him pack. “Where will we go?”  
“I have no idea. I didn’t plan anything. I thought we were safe here,” tears appeared in his eyes. “I’m so sorry I let you down.”  
Parker turned to him and wrapped her arms around him. “Sweetie, don’t ever say that. You could never let me down, no matter what. And you haven’t done anything to let me down, trust me.”  
“I should have been prepared, just in case.”  
“No,” she whispered and gave him a soft kiss. “You hope for a normal and happy life just as much as I do. Running isn’t part of that.”  
“The Centre will never allow us to lead a normal and happy life.”  
“Wait…,” she whispered… “Why didn’t I think of this before?” She walked towards her nightstand and took her cell phone; dialling a number she never imagined dialling again.  
“Daddy? ... Yes it’s me… Daddy, why did you lie to me? … Then why did Raines send sweepers after us? I thought you said we were free… Yes, Jarod is here,” she looked strangely at the phone and handed it to Jarod.  
“Mr. Parker?” Jarod asked surprised. “Yes… Yes… We got a message from a very good source inside The Centre that Raines is sending Willy and a team of sweepers to us… It’s a boy… How did you… Yes… Ok… thank you…”  
Jarod closed the phone and handed it back to her. “He’s going to confront Raines in front of the triumvirate.”  
“Thank god,” Parker whispered. “Do we still have to run?”  
“No, he’s calling Willie back right now.”  
She threw her arms around him and hugged him tight.  
“I love you, Jarod.”  
“I love you too, Monica.” He heard a faint cry from downstairs and gave Parker a quick kiss. “I’ll better give Rose her food.”  
“Ok, I’ll unpack everything again.”  
Jarod nodded and walked out of the room. Parker started unpacking again, but the voices in her head suddenly panicked. *DANGER DANGER DANGER* was banging through her head, over and over. She gripped the bed, trying to keep herself steady. She had to get to Jarod and Rose, now!  
She carefully walked into the living room and what she saw there made her heart stop for a couple of beats.  
“Hello sis, nice of you to join us.”  
“Lyle,” she breathed.  
He grinned a victorious smile as he saw the panic on both their faces. He had Rose in his arm and a gun pushed against her small head.  
“Wow sis, you’re fat.”  
“Lyle let her go. She’s innocent; she has nothing to do with this,” Jarod pleaded.  
“She must mean a great deal to you, considering that you’re her godfather,” Lyle grinned another victorious smile. “I propose a trade. That thing…,” he pointed his gun to Parker’s stomach. “For this thing...,” he pointed his gun back to Rose. “If she really is that innocent, the trade shouldn’t be so hard.”  
“Lyle,” Parker said, softly putting her hand on her stomach. “This is your nephew growing in here. Do you really want him to spend the rest of his life as a lab rat?”  
“Do you think I care?” He chuckled.  
“What happened to “Family first”?” She asked.  
“That’s dad’s stupid little dream. I don’t care shit about family.”  
“Lyle, please,” Jarod pleaded. “Take me in her place.”  
“Your usefulness is over, genius.” Lyle scowled and aimed his gun at Jarod. “Say bye bye.”  
A shot rang out and the room was quiet for what seemed like ages. Lyle’s smile widened as he aimed the gun at Rose’s head again. Parker looked to where Jarod was. His eyes were wide open and he looked down to his stomach, he grabbed the red stain with both his hands and looked astounded at them as they were covered in blood. He turned to Parker, his eyes filled with confusion and he fell on the floor.  
“Jarod!” Parker panicked, tears streaming down her face. She was by his side in seconds, holding his hand, trying to stop the bleeding with her other hand. “Stay with me, baby, stay with me. Please don’t leave me. You promised not to leave me.”  
He looked at her and softly cried. “I’m sorry,” he took a final breath and she felt his muscles relax. “No, Jarod, nooooo.”  
“Ooh, did he die?” Lyle asked in a mocking tone, still aiming the gun at Rose. “So, about that trade...”  
“How could you just kill him like that?” She asked between sobs. “He didn’t do anything that threatened you.”  
“No, but he was annoying me. Could we please get back to that trade?”  
She looked at Rose through her tear filled eyes. “Fine, just don’t hurt her, please.”  
“That’s more like it,” another victorious grin spread across his face. He put the baby back in its crib and aimed the gun to his sister. “Move! My car is outside.”  
“Please Lyle, let me call an ambulance first, we can’t just leave Rose here alone with…” Another sob escaped her throat.  
“With a corpse?”  
“Please Lyle, her parents won’t return for another two days. She’ll die and then our trade will be nullified.”  
“Fine,” he scowled.  
She quickly picked up the phone and dialled 911. She gave them the address and told them to hurry, there was a man dying and a baby of about two months left alone.  
When they asked her name she put the phone down, closing the connection. She took a final glance at Jarod’s lifeless body and followed Lyle towards his car.

***

“Mr. Parker has the triumvirate behind him,” Raines wheezed as he was walking down the deserted corridor next to Lyle. “That means we have to keep working under their radar.”  
“That won’t be a problem,” Lyle assured him as they stopped in the middle of the hallway. “I discovered this purely by accident,” he pushed in two tiles and a piece of the wall opened in front of them. Another hallway opened up to them.  
“What is this?”  
“I have no idea. I can’t find it on any of the blueprints.”  
“This is perfect.”  
“I know. She’s in that cell over there.”  
“Hello Miss Parker,” Raines wheezed as he looked inside the cell. Parker chose to ignore him and absently played with the engagement ring around her finger. She felt miserable and she didn’t care anymore what they did to her, but she still cared about her child. Lovingly she laid her hand on her belly and tears appeared in her eyes again as she thought about the things that could happen to her baby. She barely slept anymore because her dreams were haunted by Jarod’s lifeless body and their child in a lab. She was afraid to close her eyes because of her nightmares. When she was awake the image of Jarod covered in blood also haunted her and she constantly wondered what had happened to Rose. She had grown to love that little child like she was her own and she hoped Rose was with her parents now and that they would forgive her for leaving Rose alone.  
“We have great plans for that baby,” Raines wheezed and walked away from her cell. “What did you do to her?” He asked, turning to Lyle.  
“I think I finally broke her.” Lyle grinned.  
“How?”  
“I shot Jarod in front of her.”  
“Good job,” Raines smiled.

***

“How is he, doctor?”  
“He’s still in a coma.”  
“Do you think he’ll ever come out of it?”  
“We’re not sure. It’s been almost three weeks. You don’t know if he has any family?”  
“No, he only had a fiancée but she disappeared.”  
“That’s a shame; he should hear familiar voices around him.”  
“We’ll stay with him doctor. I think we’re the closest thing he has to family right now.”  
The doctor nodded and walked away from the young man. Mike looked inside the hospital room and let out a sigh. ~What the hell happened that night? ~

***

“How long does she still have to carry that thing?” Lyle asked one of the nurses.  
“About 4 months, sir.”  
“Is there any way we can speed it up?”  
“There is an experimental drug,” The doctor answered. “But no human testings were done with it, so we have no idea how it will affect the child and the mother.”  
“You don’t have to worry about the mother, she’s expendable. That thing in her is what we need.”  
“We can test it on some apes first and see what that does.”  
“How long will that take?”  
“Probably around two months. After that the child can be born in about one or two weeks, but we still won’t have a real idea how it will affect the child’s brain, body and the length of his life.”  
“It could affect its brain?”  
“Yes sir.”  
“Damn!” Lyle cursed. “Start the test. We’ll see if we use it on the subject after that.”  
“Yes sir.”

***

There were voices in the distance… very faint and he couldn’t tell what they were saying… A baby was crying… the sound had something familiar about it… His eyes wouldn’t open… What happened? … He couldn’t remember… What happened?  
“We need someone who is very familiar to him. A link to his past,” the doctor said after Cindy left to change Rose’s diaper.  
Mike sighed. “He barely spoke about his past. We won’t know who or how to contact them.”  
“The police handed me his personal belongings that were in his pockets. There was a cell phone among it. Try to see if you find a name in it that sounds familiar.” He handed him a small bag and let him sign a paper.  
“Thank you. We’ll see what we can do.”  
The doctor nodded and left the room.  
Mike opened the bag and took out Jarod’s stuff. He opened the wallet and saw the picture of Parker and a picture of their baby in the womb and a picture of Rose. Mike let out a deep sigh and wondered where Parker was and what had happened to her and the baby. She and Jarod loved each other so much, he couldn’t believe she would just abandon him, and he definitely wouldn’t believe what the cops said; she was the only suspect in his shooting and the cops thought she had taken off after shooting Jarod. But he knew them. She would never hurt Jarod. Never. The next item in the bag was his watch. It was still working and he turned it around, remembering the birthday party when Parker had given this to him. He turned it around and read the inscription. *For Jarod – the love of my life – Forever – Monica*. Mike smiled a sad smile, there was no way in hell she shot Jarod. His keys were next; there was a keychain on them with another picture of Parker and another picture of the baby and Rose. Mike sighed again and finally got Jarod’s cell phone out of the bag. Not to his surprise the battery was empty. Luckily he used the same brand and put it in the charger before turning it on and looking through the numbers. First place was Parker, of course. Mike smiled and looked at the next number. Sydney. He heard Jarod mention him once or twice, so he tried it, but all he got was a lady who said the number was out of service. The next name was Broots; he tried it but also got an ‘out-of-service’ message. After that were some names of people he had never heard about. These were probably people Jarod had helped in the past and with whom he still had contact. He’d try them later, first he had to find other names that sounded familiar.  
“Hey baby, what are you doing?” Cindy asked as she entered the room again, carrying Rose in her arms.  
“Trying to find some old friends of Jarod who can help him get out of his coma.”  
“Find anything yet?”  
“No, just names I don’t know and numbers that don’t work anymore… wait…”  
“What is it?”  
“Mr. Parker. Would that be Monica’s father?”  
“Maybe. Try it.”  
Mike nodded and dialled the number, putting the phone on speaker.  
“Yes?” The voice on the other side sounded.  
“Uh, is this Mr. Parker?” Mike asked.  
“Yes, who are you and where did you get this number?”  
“I’m a friend of Jarod and Monica.”  
“Monica?”  
“Uh, yes, do you know them?”  
“Of course I know them, she’s my daughter. What do you want from them?”  
“Well, there was a situation… uh…”  
“What happened?” Mr. Parker asked, losing his patience.  
“Jarod... was shot and he’s in a coma and Monica disappeared.”  
“Wha… what?”  
Mike and Cindy heard a chair moving and a deep sigh.  
“Sir, are you ok?” Mike asked after a few moments of silence.  
“Yes, yes, where are you now?”  
“We’re in Jarod’s hospital room in LA; the hospital is called ‘Queen of Mercy’.”  
“I’ll be there in a few hours. Don’t leave.” *click*

A few hours later an older, stern looking man entered the room.  
“Jarod, my god,” he sighed. “Who are you?” He asked as he looked at Mike and Cindy.  
Mike got out of his chair and extended his hand. “I’m Mike Jackson and this is my fiancée Cindy and the little girl is Rose, she’s Jarod’s goddaughter.”  
“Right,” Mr. Parker said, ignoring Mike’s hand and turning back to the bed. “What happened?”  
“No one knows what really happened. About three weeks ago 911 got an emergency call from their house. Jarod was shot, he almost died and his heart actually stopped for a couple of seconds in the ambulance and Rose was left alone in her crib, Monica had disappeared and the cops think she shot Jarod.”  
“She would never shoot him,” Mr. Parker said.  
“We know that, sir. We tried to tell the cops, but…”  
“You have no idea where my daughter is?”  
“Not a clue.”  
Mr. Parker let out a deep sigh and stared at Jarod. “Will he come out of the coma?”  
“No one knows, he’s fighting for his life, but the doctors think he needs a stimulus to come out of it.”  
“That would probably be my daughter,” he sighed and turned towards the door. “Stay with him, I’ll get her back,” and without another word he left the room.

***

“WHERE IS SHE?!” Mr. Parker screamed as Raines and Lyle were standing in front of his desk. “Jarod got shot by a Centre-issued weapon; YOUR WEAPON!” He pointed at Lyle. “My daughter disappeared from that house. WHERE IS SHE?”  
“Dad, I can explain.”  
“You better. Both of you were warned by the Triumvirate to leave Jarod and my daughter alone. WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?”  
“I thought that their baby would be perfect to serve The Centre,” Lyle tried, his father actually scared him; he had never seen the man this angry.  
“Do you think that the Triumvirate and I never talked about that? Don’t you think we know what that child would be capable of? DO YOU THINK WE’RE IDIOTS? NOW WHERE IS SHE?”  
“She probably ran from the scene,” Raines wheezed.  
“My daughter is a Parker, not a coward,” Mister Parker growled as he took out his gun and coldly shot Raines right between his eyes. It happened so fast that Lyle barely realised what happened.  
“Dad!” He gasped.  
“The Triumvirate gave me the liberty to get her back, no matter what. Do you want to join him?” He aimed the gun at his son’s head.  
“Dad, I’m your son. Would you really shoot me?” Panic spread over him.  
“I will do whatever it takes to protect The Centre. Now tell me where she is.”

***

“Angel?”  
She looked up surprised as she heard her father’s voice. “Daddy, don’t tell me you’re in this too?” She softly cried.  
“Of course not, angel! GET HER OUT OF THERE, YOU IDIOT!”  
Lyle nodded and quickly took out the keys, opening the door of her cell with trembling hands.  
“Angel,” he sighed as his daughter fell into his arms.  
“Daddy,” she cried until she saw Lyle in the corner of her eyes. “YOU!” Her voice sounded cold and very angry. “You shot him,” she closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye and her fist landed straight on his face, breaking his nose. He fell on the floor, letting out a painful yelp. “He didn’t do anything,” she kicked him in his stomach. “He just tried to protect an innocent baby,” another kick landed on his face. “You were holding a gun against a baby’s head.” Two kicks landed on his face and the crack when his jaw broke, was clearly audible. “You killed a good man and the father of my child.” Her final kick was right in his private parts and he let out another painful grunt.  
“Angel,” Mr. Parker put his hand on his shoulder. “Jarod isn’t dead.”  
“What?” She asked perplexed.  
“He’s in the hospital, in a coma.”  
“I need to go there. NOW!”  
“Of course.”

***

“Jarod?”  
“Monica?” Mike asked surprised, looking up from the book he was reading.  
“My god, Monica, what happened?” Cindy asked.  
“Jarod,” Parker cried as she went to his side. “Jarod, please, don’t leave me alone. Please, I need you.”  
Mike and Cindy stepped outside, giving them some privacy. To their surprise Mr. Parker was also outside.“Thank you for bringing her back,” Mike said as he extended his hand to the older man. “Let’s just hope this is the stimulus he needs.”  
Mr. Parker smiled and shook the young man’s hand.   
“I hope so too,” He whispered, looking at the scene inside the room.  
Parker was sitting on his bed, gently caressing and kissing his face.  
“So, what happened that night?” Mike asked to the older man next to him.  
“A burglar tried to steal your child. Jarod tried to stop him, but got shot, so my daughter intervened. She was knocked unconscious and taken instead.”  
“That’s horrible,” Cindy gasped as she pulled Rose closer to her.  
“Don’t worry, he didn’t harm her. And he got apprehended. He’ll serve a lot of years for kidnapping and attempted murder.”  
“I hope so,” Mike sighed.

***

“Hey Jarod, I’m so glad you’re not dead,” Parker smiled as she took his hand in hers the next morning, she had stayed in the room that night after a long talk with their friends and after her father had left for The Centre again. “The doctor told me I have to keep talking to you, that this would hopefully bring you out of the coma. I really hope you will come out of it. They are talking about pulling the plug in about a week. Jarod, I wouldn’t know what to do without you. When I thought you were dead, I felt so hopeless and utterly lost. Don’t do that to me again Jarod, please. Hey, guess what: my dad helped me. Can you believe that? I had given up all hope on him. Before he left, he told me that we shouldn’t worry about The Centre anymore; they would leave us, our family and your family alone. Can you believe that? We’re finally free honey. Finally  
completely free… Finally... We can start a real life together without having to look behind us constantly. My father killed Raines and Lyle is in prison, for many, many years. The Triumvirate swore that if anyone else tries to mess with us, they would kill that person instantly. My dad even managed to contact Sydney; he’ll arrive here tomorrow. So will Broots and Debbie. Now honey, you can’t be sleeping when all our friends arrive here, do you? So please, wake up… please…”

***

“Miss Parker, my god,” Broots gasped as he entered the hospital room. “You’re pregnant.”  
“A+ for observation, Broots.” Parker smiled as she hugged her old friend. “Where’s Debbie?”  
“Right here,” the girl smiled widely as she wrapped her arms around her. “Is it a boy or a girl?”  
“It’s a boy,” Parker answered. Debbie looked kind of sad by that news, she had hoped for a girl to play with. Parker easily noticed it. “But Jarod became godfather of a beautiful baby girl.”  
“Really?” Debbie asked surprised.  
“Yes, her name is Rose and she and her parents will come by in the afternoon.”  
Debbie’s smile widened.

***

“Miss Parker, how far along are you?” Sydney asked as he entered the room.  
“Sydney!” She gasped and hugged the older man tight. “I’m so glad you’re here. We were so worried about you.”  
“I told you not to be,” he smiled. “But you still haven’t answered my question.”  
“I’m at the end of my fifth month,” she answered.  
Sydney looked worried towards the bed. “How is he?”  
“Still in a coma,” she whispered and sat by his side again, gently holding his hand in hers and kissing it softly.

***

“Guys, I’d like you to meet Mike and Cindy and that little bundle of joy is Rose, Jarod’s goddaughter.”  
Introductions were made as Parker turned back to Jarod. “Honey, everyone you care about is here now. This would be a perfect time to wake up.  
“Jarod?” an unknown voice sounded from the door. They all turned around and faced the older woman.  
“My god, you’re Jarod’s mother,” Parker gasped.  
“Jarod.” Margaret sighed as she stepped towards her son’s bed and took his hand.  
“How did you know he was here?” Parker asked.  
“I got a message from a man named Angelo. He told me Jarod was here and that he needed the people he loved around him.”  
“Angelo was right,” Parker smiled and lovingly kissed Jarod’s hand.  
“You look exactly like your mother,” Margaret said after a while. “I’m very sure she would have been very happy knowing the two of you got together.”  
Parker gave her a soft smile. “I know she is.”  
“Is that my grandchild?” Margaret asked after a moment of silence as she looked to Parker’s belly.  
“Yes, this is your grandson,” Parker answered as she softly laid her hand on her belly. “I just hope he’ll get to know his father.”  
“I’m sure he will,” Margaret said as she took Parker’s hand in hers. “Jarod’s a real fighter and he loves you too much to leave you.”  
“I thought you’d be the first to object against us being together, knowing what my family and I did to you and your family.”  
“Both Catherine and I realised you and Jarod belonged together the first time you two met.”  
“You know about the first time we met?”  
“Of course, I was there.”  
“You were in The Centre?” Parker asked surprised.  
“Gosh no. You guys met three times before they took Jarod away from us.”  
“What?” Parker’s eyes almost popped out.  
“Yes. The first time was so cute. Jarod was barely a year and playing in the garden on a blanket. You were just a couple of months. Catherine came by and introduced you to Jarod and when he saw you, his eyes were sparkling. Your mother put you next to Jarod on the blanket and he was so sweet with you. He brushed your cheek and gave you a couple of kisses on your forehead. Then he pulled you in his arms and just hugged you for a long, long time. And all that time you just smiled and made happy noises. Your mother and I looked at the both of you and we realised that you were made for each other. I’m glad the both of you realised that too, although it took you a pretty long time.”  
“It took me a pretty long time. Jarod knew from the moment he saw me in The Centre the first time. Back then I knew it too, but daddy made me forget about it.” Parker’s eyes turned sad as she remembered the years she was almost brainwashed to forget Jarod, to forget her feelings for him, to turn her feelings of love into feelings of hate.  
“Monica, that’s the past. Leave the past in the past. Only the present and the future are for you to worry about and they can give more than enough headaches.”  
Parker smiled at her remark and looked at Jarod. “Margaret, can you tell me about the other two times?”  
“Of course. The second time was about a year later. It was amazing. Catherine came by and Jarod was playing with some building blocks in the living room. I mean, it had been a year, but when she put you next to him, a huge grin appeared on his face and he yelled ‘Onica’ and he took you in his arms and hugged you like his life depended on it. And you put your little arms around his neck and giggled. You guys just hung on to each other the entire time you were there.”  
Parker smiled. “It’s a shame I don’t really remember that, but the weird thing is that somewhere deep inside it sounds familiar.”  
“I don’t want to intervene,” Sydney said. “But Parker, do you remember when we had to retrieve those hidden memories in Jarod when he talked to Catherine about Ethan?”  
“How could I forget?”  
“Remember when I told you that all our memories stay with us, but they just fade into the background.”  
“Yes, I do remember that,” Parker smiled at her old friend.  
“This is more or less the same. Although you were just a toddler, those memories still linger somewhere deep in you. And when Margaret tells you them, you won’t actually remember them, but they will sound familiar in a way.”  
“Thanks Syd.” Monica smiled again and turned back to Margaret. “Please tell me about the third time.”  
Margaret nodded. “Almost a year-and-a-half passed before Catherine could visit with you again. She said something about her husband not agreeing with her visits. But she ignored him when you started calling out for Jarod in your dreams.”  
“I did that?” Parker asked her surprised.  
“Yes, you did and after a while your mother got sick and tired when you woke up almost every day with tears in your eyes, so she had a big fight with your father and brought you over. You were so happy to see Jarod that you knocked him right over when you ran in his arms. He just laughed and held you tight. He was so happy to see you too. The both of you walked to the garden, holding hands. It was in the middle of summer and you lay down in the grass next to each other and you two talked. All afternoon, you two just lay in the grass, holding hands and talking gibberish. It was amazing to watch. And when your mother had to leave, you both cried and we had to pull you apart. It was so sad. Jarod cried all night and Catherine called me the next day to tell me you had done the same. Barely a year later they took Jarod and I guess over  
time the memories just faded.”  
Parker had tears in her eyes and softly kissed Jarod’s hand. “We really have loved each other our entire lives,” she whispered and lovingly brushed his cheek. “I wouldn’t know what to do without him. I love him so much.” She cried and laid her head on his chest.  
The others in the room stayed quiet, some had tears in their eyes and most had lumps in their throats. True love is a rare thing and this was the truest any love could be.

***

~There are voices in the distance… very faint and I can’t tell what they’re saying… but they sound so familiar… especially one of them… Parker... it’s my honey’s voice… my baby… but… there’s another voice… female… older… mom? … it can’t be… it has to be… have to open my eyes… they won’t open… I want to open them… why won’t they open… PARKER... help me…~  
“There’s a spike in his heartbeat!” Parker exclaimed, staring at the monitor. “Jarod, sweetie, baby, come back to me. Your mom’s here. She can’t wait to meet you. Please baby, come back.”  
~Parker... honey… I’m here… why can’t you hear me… honey… mom… she said mom’s here… I was right… MOM...~  
“Another spike!” Parker yelled. “Baby, please, we’re here. Come back to us. Sweetie, please. Everyone’s here, even Rose. She can’t wait to be held by you again. Sydney’s here too and so are Broots and Debbie. You really have to come back to us sweetie, please. Everyone’s waiting for you.”  
~Monica… why can’t you hear me sweetie… Rose? … Rose is here? … that beautiful baby… Sydney’s here too? He’s back? … Broots and Debbie? What are they doing here? And why can’t they hear me? This is so frustrating! Aaaaaaaaah!!~  
“Look at that,” Parker gasped as she pointed to his monitor. “Something’s happening, but why won’t he wake up?”  
“Parker, keep talking to him,” Sydney said. “Just keep talking, let him hear your voice.”  
Parker nodded and looked at Jarod’s face. Although there was a tube sticking out of his mouth and wires hung all over the place, he still looked amazing and she loved him more than she could imagine. She gently squeezed his hand. “Jarod, sweetie, just open your eyes, squeeze my hand, just something to let me know that you’re hearing me, please baby, please.”  
~Squeeze her hand… I can feel her hand in mine… squeeze it… squeeze it…~  
“Oh my god!” She gasped, her eyes wide open. “I felt it. He squeezed my hand.”  
“Are you sure?” Mike asked.  
“Yes. He squeezed my hand. I’m sure,” tears were in her eyes as she brushed his cheek. “Jarod, baby, open your eyes, please sweetie. I want to see your beautiful brown eyes again. Please. Do it for me. Please.”  
~Eyes… I want to see her beautiful blue eyes too… open them… goddamn! Open your eyes…~  
“Look at his heart rate,” Sydney said. “I’d better get a nurse.”  
“I’ll get someone,” Mike said and jumped up, almost running out of the room.  
“Sweetie, I know you can hear me. Don’t try to talk, there’s a tube in your mouth and throat, but just open your eyes sweetie, open you eyes, please. Oh my god! His eyelids are moving!”  
Everyone gathered closer around the bed instantly to see how Jarod very slowly opened his eyes.  
~I got my eyes moving… Too much light!… Too much light!~  
Parker saw how he quickly closed his eyes again and pinched them close. “I think it’s too bright in here. Close the curtains.”  
Broots jumped up and quickly did as she said. At that moment Mike walked back in with a nurse right behind him.  
“My gosh, there’s so many people in here,” she gasped. “Give me some room.”  
Parker completely ignored the nurse, tears were streaming down her face as she stared in Jarod’s eyes and he was staring in hers. “Jarod, sweetie, you’re awake,” she whispered, gently brushing his cheek.  
“Yes, it seems he is,” the nurse said, pushing Margaret out of the way. “Mr. Cole, look at me.”  
Jarod reluctantly looked away from Parker’s wet blue eyes and looked at the stern older nurse.  
She looked in his eyes and asked him to look left and right and to squeeze her hand.  
“Right, let’s see if you can breath on your own. This will hurt,” she detached the tube from the breathing machine and pulled it out of his throat. He heaved and gasped as he tried to catch his breath and make his lungs breathe on their own. Parker squeezed his hand and encouraged him. Finally he relaxed and his breathing calmed down.  
“Mr. Cole. Don’t try to force your voice or your muscles. They all need to strengthen again.”  
Jarod slowly nodded and wanted to say: “I know.” But barely a whisper escaped his mouth. He let out a sigh and made a hand gesture.  
Sydney snickered. “He’s saying thank you.”  
“Just doing my job,” she said and walked out.  
“You know sign language?” Broots asked surprised.  
Sydney just nodded and went closer to Jarod’s bed. “Just relax; your voice will come back. If you want to say something now, just sign it and I’ll translate.”  
Jarod made the same sign as before and looked at Parker, his eyes shining with love.  
“Sweetie, there’s someone here who’d love to see you,” and she pointed at the older woman on the other side of his bed. Jarod turned to her and his eyes widened.  
“Mom,” he gasped barely audible.  
“Jarod,” she sighed. “I’m so happy you’re ok. Just take it easy, ok? We’ll have lots of time to talk later.”  
Tears were in his eyes as he nodded and gently squeezed her hand.  
He turned to Sydney and made another sign.“He’s asking about Rose.” The older man translated.  
Cindy got out of her chair and put the baby next to him, in his arm. “She’s fine, Jarod. Nothing happened to her.”  
He let out a relieved sigh and looked at his beautiful goddaughter who was sound asleep. Cindy took her again. “You can still babysit her. Don’t worry.”  
Jarod threw her a thankful smile and turned back to Parker; he gently brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and guided her face to his until their lips met in a deep loving kiss. His hand travelled down her body and lingered on her belly. She smiled at him and gave the tip of his nose a quick kiss.  
“Only three months left before you’ll be a daddy,” she whispered.

***

-One month later-  
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony. The bride and groom have written their own vows.”  
Jarod gently squeezed Parker’s hands and looked in her shining blue eyes.  
“Monica Parker, I love you. I have always loved you and I can’t imagine living my life without you. I give you my soul and my heart and I know you are the only person that can keep them safe.”  
Parker’s smile was huge as she tried to hold back her tears of happiness.  
“Jarod Cole, the moment I thought I lost you, I felt so alone and lost that I knew I couldn’t live without you. That fact that we’re together here today is a miracle and I realise how blessed I am. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and I want to be the mother of your children… lots of children,” they both chuckled. “Jarod, I love you and I’ll always love you.”  
“Jarod Cole, do you take Monica Parker as your lawfully wedded wife?”  
“I do,” he grinned and gently put the ring on her finger.  
“Monica Parker, do you take Jarod Cole as your lawfully wedded husband?”  
“I do,” she said and lost control over her tears as she put the ring on his finger.  
“By the power vested in me by the state of California, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”  
The kiss they shared was filled with an abundance of love.  
“Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Jarod Cole.”  
They walked down the aisle, passing their friends and family, happily smiling as two weeks of vacation in Aruba were waiting for them.  
As they walked out of the church and said their goodbyes to their friends and family, Jarod felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and looked the man in his eyes.  
“Mr. Parker,” Jarod nodded.  
“Jarod, if you ever hurt my angel, I’ll know where to find you.”  
“Don’t worry sir; I love her too much to hurt her.”  
“Good. And take care of my grandchildren.”  
“Always, and you’re always welcome to visit when we’re back in LA.”  
“Hmm, yes, maybe,” he grunted and faced his daughter.  
“Thank you Daddy, I’m really happy and I owe that to you.”  
Mr. Parker smiled and kissed her on her cheek. “I’m happy for you, angel.”

***

The honeymoon was bliss for both of them. A big bed and room service was all they needed.  
When they got back home, their friends and family were waiting for them to throw another big party. Everyone was there, Jarod’s entire family, Mike’s family, Sydney, Broots and Debbie and even Mister Parker with Nick, baby Parker.  
Ethan was there too, he had missed their wedding and he excused himself for that about a hundred times. The party was a lot of fun and their friends really had moved on with their lives. Margaret was a first-grade teacher in the local school and Charles was a flight-instructor, they had bought a small house down the street where they lived with Gene, Jarod’s clone. Gene was enrolled in college and he was studying avionics with a major in space flight. He wanted to become an astronaut and chances were big he would probably be the youngest astronaut in space. Ethan also lived with them; he had gained control over the voices and his headaches were a lot less.  
Mike and Cindy got married two weeks before Jarod and Parker. They still lived in the house Jarod bought them and they had no plans of ever moving. Rose was growing fast and she was a perfectly healthy baby. Jarod and Parker loved her as if she was their own child.  
Sydney was working at The Centre again, trying to get Angelo a normal life. He came by regularly. Jarod had already promised his mentor that he would be their son’s godfather. Sydney also kept regular contact with Michelle and Nicholas and slowly they were starting to feel like a family.  
Broots and Debbie had also moved to LA. Broots had started his own tech company and he was very successful. Emily and he were also dating and rapidly falling in love.  
Debbie got along great with Emily and she secretly hoped Emily would marry her father and that she would get a baby sister soon.  
Mr. Parker was still the chairman and he had sworn to his daughter that The Centre would never hurt her family or their friends. The hunt was really over. He had become a real father to Nick, something that really surprised Parker, but they made each other happy.

***

-Five years later-  
“Daddy!” The young boy screamed and ran straight into Jarod’s open arms.  
“Hey Adam,” Jarod raised him high in the air and Adam screamed in joy. “How was your walk in the park?”  
“Great, we fed the ducks and Rose fell in the water,” he giggled.  
“Rose fell in the water?” Jarod smiled.  
“Yeah, Uncle Broots took her home and Aunt Cindy looked very mad.”  
“Where is your uncle?”  
“Helping Aunt Emily out of the car.”  
Jarod smiled as he thought of his over-pregnant sister. He was glad she found happiness with Broots and Debbie and Debbie was overjoyed that she would have a baby sister in a couple of days.  
“Daddy, where’s mommy?”  
“She’s upstairs, putting Kyle to bed.”  
Adam ran upstairs to his mother, leaving Jarod alone in the kitchen to greet Broots, Emily and Debbie.  
“Mommy!” Adam screamed as he wrapped himself around Parker’s legs.  
“Shhh, Adam,” Parker smiled and peeled him off her. “Kyle’s sleeping.”  
Adam peeked in the bed to his two year old brother.  
“I’ll be quiet, Mommy.”  
“That’s good baby, now go back to your dad and tell him I’ll be right down.”  
The boy nodded and ran back out of the room, almost flying downstairs.  
Parker smiled and gently put her hand on her stomach. Thank god their third child would be a girl, it would be their last one and they had already decided to call her Catherine.

That night she was relaxing in Jarod’s arms as he was discussing an aerodynamics theory with Gene. After his brother left, Parker wrapped her arms around him.  
“Finally alone.”  
“Well, if you don’t count the two sleepers upstairs,” Jarod smiled and gently kissed her, following an invisible trail from her lips, over her neck and to the curves of her breasts.  
“Oh Jarod, would you ever have imagined us like this six years ago?” She whispered, raising his head for another kiss.  
“I could only dream about it back then,” he hugged her tight.  
Smiling, she whispered in his ear: “Let’s go upstairs and try not to wake the kids.”  
“Hey, I’m not the one making all those loud noises…,” he joked and helped her up.  
“Shut up, labrat,” she growled with a smile.He just grinned and took her hand, guiding her upstairs.

THE END


End file.
